Thread by @danielmwoodruff

We're back in court after hearing testimony from Summit County Sheriff's Det. J. O'Driscoll, who's testified about Eric Richins' death in March 2022. His wife Kouri is accused of murdering him. @KUTV2News

https://twitter.com/danielmwoodruff/status/1668268343944511492

O'Driscoll testified that a woman ("CL") who worked for Kouri bought fentanyl on 2 occasions and delivered it to Kouri, prior to Eric's death. @KUTV2News #kouririchins

The detective had also testified that a first responder on scene said it was unlikely #KouriRichins performed CPR on her husband Eric despite claims that she did. @KUTV2News

#KouriRichins defense attorney Skye Lazaro is trying to poke holes in how detectives went about questioning "CL." @KUTV2News

Det. O'Driscoll is finished testifying. Now the court will hear from Chris Kotrodimos, a private investigator with M20 Solutions. He was a police officer for 20+ years before that. Worked with @slcpd and @SimGillDA office. @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says he was retained by Summit Co DA's office to evaluate digital evidence in the #KouriRichins case. @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos is testifying about #KouriRichins iPhone and its usage on March 3-4, 2022 (the night or early morning when Eric Richins died). @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says the phone was unlocked at 3:07am on March 4 and then a 911 call was made at 3:22am. Between that, he says, the device was moved and unlocked several times. @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says one movement in the house was 240 feet, and the other was 130 feet. This was before the 911 call #KouriRichins made. @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says it appears there was some deletion from the phone, including web history and call logs. There are also messages apparently missing, he says. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says based on phone carrier records, #KouriRichins made calls to "CL" that night. @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says there were searches on Kouri's phone for articles about what happens to deleted messages, and how forensic analysts recover data from phones. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Another search from #KouriRichins iPhone, according to Kotrodimos: "luxury prisons" for the rich. @KUTV2News

Kotrodimos says he also analyzed Eric Richins' phone. He says last use was about 9:58pm on March 3, 2022. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Defense attorney presses Kotrodimos and asks about alleged deletion -- isn't it true he can only say the data was "missing?" Correct, he says. Attorney also asks about the movement of Kouri's phone. @KUTV2News #KouriRichins

That's the end of testimony for that witness. Next up is Brooke Karrington, a financial forensics expert. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Karrington says her firm was retained by the Summit County Attorney's Office a few weeks ago for the #KouriRichins case. @KUTV2News

Karrington says she looked at documents pertaining to #KouriRichins buying and selling homes through her real estate company. @KUTV2News

Prosecutor shows the court a timeline prepared by Karrington of properties acquired by #KouriRichins. Karrington says she identified 2 properties in 2019, including one they were living in (and on which a HELOC was taken out). @KUTV2News

Trust deeds totaled roughly $471,000 in 2019, Karrington says. That jumped to over $2 million on 5 properties in 2020, and $6,260,458 on 13 properties in 2021. Karrington says business seemed to be growing. "Sometimes that is problematic." #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Karrington says growth too quickly or too robustly is "challenging for a business." #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Karrington says at the end of 2021, #KouriRichins was obligated for over $4 million on the properties she owned. @KUTV2News

How much debt was #KouriRichins servicing at end of 2021? In December alone, there were 94 payments totaling $252,000, Karrington says. @KUTV2News

Karrington says one account had sued #KouriRichins in December 2021. Karrington also says several payments during that month did not clear the bank due to insufficient funds. @KUTV2News

Re: that lawsuit, which was out of New York, Karrington says #KouriRichins used $87,000 in receivables (potential revenue) and was borrowing $60,000 against that. Complaint says #KouriRichins made $21k in payments and then defaulted. @KUTV2News

Prosecutor asking about various other accounts relating to Eric and #KouriRichins. @KUTV2News

Karrington is painting a picture of #KouriRichins being short of cash as her accounts and lines of credit were exceeded or tapped out. @KUTV2News

Judge moves prosecutor on from accounts to a new topic - life insurance. Karrington says there were multiple policies on Eric. Karrington says #KouriRichins got $1.3 million in payouts on life insurance. @KUTV2News

Defense attorney now cross examining, asking about homes #KouriRichins still currently owns. Was there evidence of a partnership? Karrington says if there was, it would be reflected in trust deed, and there wasn't any evidence of that. @KUTV2News

That's it for testimony from Karrington. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Now a victim impact statement from Amy Richins, Eric's sister. She says his "life was taken in a senseless act of poisoning." #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Amy says she is "brokenhearted" with Eric's loss. She says he loved his family, hunting, and working as entrepreneur. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Amy says Eric Richins was a loving father and coached children in sports. She says he "loved to have fun," especially on motorized toys. She says he built a successful masonry business and built close relationships with everyone he worked with. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

"Eric was a true champion of all people," Amy says. She says words can't describe how lonely everyone is who knew him. His death has created "a Grand Canyon sized hole in this community." #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Eric died "under horrendous circumstances," Amy says, wondering what #KouriRichins said to him in his last moments and what, if anything, his sons saw. Why did this happen? Greed or desire to get his assets? "If so, that is abhorrent." @KUTV2News

Amy says she struggles with "how little" Eric Richins meant to #KouriRichins. In his last moments, she says, Eric was faced "with betrayal and terror...I am haunted by the horror of it." @KUTV2News

Amy says family members have watched as #KouriRichins has tried to portray herself as grieving widow while parading around as a children's book author and trying to profit off his death: kutv.com/news/local/uta… @KUTV2News

Amy says #KouriRichins refused to help with the funeral but closed on a $2 million home and did other things within the first 48 hours, including breaking into his gun safe. @KUTV2News

Amy says she and Kouri had an altercation about the breaking into the safe after Eric's death. She says #KouriRichins looked at her "with pure hatred and rage" as she opposed her plans. She says Kouri punched her in the face and neck multiple times. @KUTV2News

Amy says #KouriRichins put together a golf tournament for Eric on what would be his 40th birthday but told family they were not allowed to attend. @KUTV2News

Amy also notes that #KouriRichins has taken out "multiple life insurance policies" on her sons and used her kids' real names in her book about grieving. "Her behavior gives me great concern," Amy says. @KUTV2News

Amy says #KouriRichins has cut the family out of the boys' lives. She says the family keeps learning new evidence and allegations against Kouri. @KUTV2News

Amy says they welcomed #KouriRichins into their family and treated her as one of them. But she says Kouri betrayed Eric, and now they live in fear for the boys' lives and their own. "I never knew evil like this existed." @KUTV2News

Amy says #KouriRichins financial situation was bad then and worse now, and she says Kouri is "devoid of moral sensibility" and there's no telling what she would do if she is released. @KUTV2News

Amy pleads with the judge to not release #KouriRichins on bail, using "fraudulent" life insurance money. She says she will be afraid of her life and also the lives of Eric's 3 sons. "Our family has already suffered enough." @KUTV2News

Defense will not call any witnesses. They previously filed a brief with the court. Attorney Skye Lazaro will make closing statements. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

Lazaro calls this "a really tragic circumstance," and that #KouriRichins "loved her kids and her husband." Lazaro says state hasn't drawn connection between "CL" and Kouri getting fentanyl from her. @KUTV2News

Lazaro says state has "zero corroborating evidence" that "CL" was actually buying fentayl for #KouriRichins or provided it to her. There were no traces of fentanyl in the home either, Lazaro notes. @KUTV2News

There's no evidence #KouriRichins did anything to Eric Richins, Lazaro says. "Being bad with money does not make you a murderer. Being bad at managing your accounts makes you bad at math, but it doesn't make you a murderer." @KUTV2News

Lazaro notes the $1.3 million in life insurance money doesn't come close to solving #KouriRichins money problems. Lazaro argues Kouri was in a worse position after his death because she didn't have his business income anymore. @KUTV2News

Final word now from prosecutors. Summit County Chief Prosecutor Patricia Cassell disagrees with Lazaro, saying there is substantial evidence. She also says witness testified there was a "hand-to-hand" fentanyl transaction from "CL" to #KouriRichins. @KUTV2News

Cassell says there would be more evidence if not for the deleted data from #KouriRichins phone. @KUTV2News

Cassell also notes #KouriRichins was in "dire financial straits" and deeply in debt. "The way to get out of that debt was to kill Eric Richins." @KUTV2News

Judge speaking now. He says the issue today is whether #KouriRichins should continue to be held without bail during pre-trial process. @KUTV2News

Judge says there is motive in this case, and there is evidence that a jury could "reasonably infer consciousness of guilt." #KouriRichins @KUTV2News

BREAKING: Judge has DENIED a request from #KouriRichins to be released on bail during pre-trial process due to severity of charges and potential penalties, and the evidence against her. @KUTV2News

This means #KouriRichins will remain incarcerated while the pre-trial process continues. @KUTV2News

Next court appearance: June 22 at noon. #KouriRichins @KUTV2News